Medical cutting or ablating devices for use within a patient's anatomy are known. For example, intravascular devices can employ cutting balloons for excising obstructions within a patient's vasculature. A cutting balloon typically is an inflatable balloon having one or more cutting blades that can be positioned in parallel with a long axis of the balloon. The balloon has a deflated position in which cutting blades are retracted from a cutting position and an inflated position in which the cutting blades are extended into a cutting position.
Existing cutting balloons have distinct disadvantages. For example, the steel blades typically employed require the application of significant force to successfully cut away the lesions present in the vascular system. Because the cutting or outward force is applied by inflating the balloon, this places limits on how small the balloon can be.
A substantial need remains for an alternative in vivo cutting device.